The idea of mindful leadership is not exactly new. In an essay entitled “Instructions to the Head Cook,” Dogen, the founder of Zen in Japan during the thirteenth century, advised that the head cook embrace three core practices or “three minds” while leading the kitchen. These are Joyful Mind (the mind that accepts and appreciates everything), Grandmother Mind (the mind of unconditional love), and Wise Mind (the mind that can embrace the reality of change and be radically inclusive).

Love is the quality of attention we pay to things. — J. D. McClatchy

One of the things Buddhist psychology is best at is itemizing which emotional tendencies are the most ingrained. They are listed as the “ten fetters,” and this tendency to measure oneself is said to be one of the most subtle and difficult to uproot. Even lust and anger are easier to deal with than conceit.

I am reminded of the four qualities of the Zen Buddhist aesthetic (simplicity, naturalness, directness, and profundity) and the four dominant moods of Zen poetry (isolation, poverty, impermanence, and mystery).

The main theme of Buddhism,” the Dalai Lama began, “is altruism based on compassion and love.” He then went on to teach the foundational Tibetan Buddhist practice of “mother recognition”: imagining all beings as one’s mother.

Again, in order to have a sense of closeness and dearness for others,

you must first train in a sense of their kindness through using as a

model a person in this lifetime who was very kind to yourself and

then extending this sense of gratitude to all beings. Since, in

general, in this life your mother was the closest and offered the most

help, the process of meditation begins with recognizing all other

sentient beings as like your mother.